Bathyplotes sp.

Mackenzie, Melanie, Davey, Niki, Burghardt, Ingo & Haines, Margaret L., 2024, A report of sea cucumbers collected on the first dedicated deep-sea biological survey of Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories around Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea), Memoirs of Museum Victoria (Mem. Mus. Vic.) 83, pp. 207-316 : 281

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.24199/j.mmv.2024.83.03
publication LSID	urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9065254A-A8EE-4162-ACDE-4D7F01B4A213
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/432A0A53-523E-FFFC-FF36-EBB6FEA5F9AC
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Bathyplotes sp.
status

Treatment

Bathyplotes sp. MoV. 7342

Material examined. NMV F308174 About NMV * (1) [IN 2022 V08 113] , NMV F308199 About NMV * (1) [IN 2022 V08 116] , NMV F308317 About NMV * (8) [IN 2022 V08 185] .

Diagnosis of IOT material. Specimens all damaged with few external features remaining. Light pink to orange, elongate, dorsoventrally flattened to cylindrical, often covered in sponge spicules and grit. Often just central vermiform section remaining here, sometimes with tentacle crown or remnant “fluffy” skin. Often stripped of skin but NMV F308199 About NMV (fig. 46b) gives a good example of orange vermiform centre and translucent pink skin with dorsoventrally flattened form when more intact. This specimen up to 5 cm long, 4.3 cm wide, 1.2 cm high, and cream/white with very few characters when preserved. No tube feet or papillae remaining in most specimens, though skin where present had white warts and/or retracted appendages and was slightly rugose from ossicles. Mouth ventral to terminal. Anus appears terminal. Tentacles lost from most specimens, but where present discs have indented edges. Ossicles include occasional Cs and some or all the following Bathyplotes- type tables .

Type 5) Tables with tall four-pillared spires, with five or six crossbeams, spines along length of spire, with four long, separate, distally perforated arms (fig. 46d–i).

Type 7) Tables, with four-pillared spires, typically with two or three crossbeams in top half of spire, and slightly tapered, irregularly spinous along length of spire but especially at top, four perforated arms variably joining. Like Type 3) but slightly taller, with additional crossbeams and often starting to join between arms. Seen here in papillae around endplates (fig. 46j, k).

Remarks. See previous remarks. Some B. sulcatus and B. natans ossicle types present here again with some additional variations or omissions. Specimens all damaged with very few external features. Identified here to OTU level Bathyplotes sp. MoV.7342.

Distribution. These specimen lots only: Indian Ocean, Australian IOT, Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands Territories, Scrooge Seamount Stn., Lucia Seamount Stn., and Raitt Ridge North Stn., 1936–1991 m.

References (for genus). Sars (1868), SolÍs-MarÍn (2003), Sluiter (1901a), Théel (1886a).